Rep. Reid Ribble (R-WI) dropped out of the conservative House Freedom Caucus on Thursday, citing the caucus’ recent focus on the speaker race, Appleton, Wisconsin, paper The Post-Crescent reported.
“The Freedom Caucus has moved away from this primary focus in recent weeks, and for this reason I have stepped back from the caucus,” Ribble told the Post-Crescent. “The freedom caucus pivoted their attention to these leadership races and away from policy and I wasn’t interested in making that pivot.”
The Freedom Caucus endorsed Rep. Daniel Webster (R-FL) for speaker, making it harder for House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) to gain enough votes to secure the top leadership spot in the House. McCarthy dropped out of the speaker race on Thursday amidst concerns that he could not unite the party or attain enough votes to win the leadership election.
Rep. Tom McClintock (R-CA) dropped out of the caucus in September, telling Politico that its tactics “have repeatedly undermined the House’s ability to advance” a conservative agenda.
H/t Politico
